Restless Leg Syndrome in pregnancy linked to estrogens

February 16, 2009 by Baby Chums
Filed under: Pregnancy

German researchers report in the journal, “Sleep” that Estrogen, the natural steroid, could play a large part in the trigger for restless legs syndrome, (RLS) during pregnancy.

Dr. Thomas Pollmächer, principal investigator on the study said: “We, for the first time, have quite direct evidence that RLS in pregnancy … is obviously directly related to hormonal changes (estrogens).”

The study accounted for ten pregnant women with RLS and nine pregnant healthy “controls”. Each provided blood samples and underwent sleep-lab studies during the third trimester of pregnancy and again three months after the delivery of babies.

Eight of the ten RLS patients reported experiencing restless-legs symptoms before the present pregnancy, and all ten described worsening symptoms during pregnancy.

According to the investigators, women with RLS showed significantly higher estrogen levels during pregnancy compared to the control group. Other pregnancy related hormone levels did not differ significantly between the two groups.

The study was hoped to better understand RLS in general, and possibly lead to an additional route for the development of treatment.

Estrogens are so-called neuroactive steroid hormones; they are important not only for conception and pregnancy but also act directly in the brain